Statues
by Greenwolves
Summary: Arthur returns to help in the Battle of Hogwarts, but he needs some help from some old friends. Will they be able to defeat Voldemort?
1. chapter 1

Professor McGonagall was speaking urgently, having just called all students to the Great Hall to evacuate them, now that Voldemort was about to attack the ancient school.

Suddenly there was a bang as the huge oak front doors opened. The castle groaned, and the teachers raised their wands, ready to protect the students from the Deatheater that had managed to evade the wards and gain access to Hogwarts.

However, the man that entered was no Deatheater.

He was stocky and well-muscled, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Strangely, he wore chainmail, and a red cape floated behind him. His hair was sopping wet, and little rivulets of water trickled over his armour. It was not raining outside, so the only way the man could have got so wet was by falling in the lake. The strangest thing about the man was that he appeared to be a muggle, carrying no wand, only an ornate sword.

As the man stopped and lifted the weapon above his head, the teachers raised their wands once more into defensive positions. He ignored them, and thrust the sword down into a stone slab in the floor. The surrounding sorcerers gasped as the sword glided smoothly in, sparks flying.

The man seemed indifferent to their exclamations of surprise and cried out in a commanding voice, "I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot. I am the Once and Future King, the man who united the land of Albion, and ruled over the greatest kingdom the world has ever known. It was foretold that when Albion's need was greatest I would rise again, and that hour has come. I call on the Knights of the Roundtable to aid me in my quest. Percival, the strong, Elyan, the brave, Leon, the honourable, Gwaine the true-hearted, Lancelot, the noble, Giuas, the wise, Guinevere, the good, and Merlin, the loyal. Rise, friends, for the love of Camelot!"

A moment of silence followed his words, and then the castle groaned once more, and the historic statues that stood on the perimeter of the Great Hall wavered. Everyone squinted, trying to work out what was happening, everyone but Arthur, who removed his sword from the stone and returned it to the scabbard at his side, before lifting his head to watch, like a golden lion surveying his territory.

The witches and wizards gasped, their dire sitsituation momentarily forgotten as they saw that the statues had disappeared, and in their place stood people, five of which wore the same uniform as their King. One of them, a knight with longer brown hair, seemed to have been hunched over in his statue, and now stood upright to stretch. There was an audible pop as the man bent his back straight, and he moaned.

"Bloody hell Merlin, you couldn't have just waited a second more till I was actually standing straight, could you?"

A young man climbed over the teachers table on the dais, grinning. He wore a blue shirt, a brown jacket and a red neckerchief was tied round his throat.

"I _told_ you I was about to cast the spell because Godric and Rowena were about to come back, but you decided to irritate Percival about his height. That's not _my_ fault is it Gwaine?"

Both men laughed and hugged.

"Good to see you mate. We'll have to go for a pint some time down at the Rising Sun, catch up on a thousand years of being a statue and listening to boring speaches."

The knights laughed knowingly as they made their way over.

Guias admonished them. "I really don't think Arthur called us back so that you could all drink ale together."

"What about after we save Albion?" Elyan asked persuasively, and they all grinned, even Gwen, who slapped her brother lightly before laughing at her friends.

As one, their heads turned towards their King, who until now had been doing an impressive job of maintaining a regal look as he watched his friend's antics. His expression changed to one resembling almost fear as they ran the length of the hall to engulf him in a hug (barring Guias, who walked sedately and patted him on the head, because he represented the older generation, and was not going to look immature now).

The group were laughing and hugging when they all dropped to their knees around Arthur.

"We are with you until the end, Sire." said Leon, who was better with words that the others.

They all nodded, and Arthur smiled mischievously as he lifted his sword, and called out "to the mouth of hell it is!"

Percival, Leon, Merlin and Gwen laughed, while the others just grinned, slightly confused.

They rose and seemed to recall that they were in the middle of the Great Hall, and that about a thousand students were watching them in amazement. The friends gathered in a circle and started whispering about their battle plans. Merlin suddenly spoke up, but many of the knights seemed unsure at his suggestion. However, after some debate, Arthur agreed, and Merlin sprinted out the hall, and skidded round the corner. There was a thud and a muffled exclamation as Merlin collided with the opposite wall, but he carried on, and Arthur just rolled his eyes before turning back to the conversation.

A bright light lit up the corridor outside, before winking out. Voices could be heard arguing, before they came to some agreement, and Merlin reappeared, a woman at his side. She looked uncertain, then almost angry as Merlin led her to stand before her King. The knights put their hands on their sword hilts, ready to protect him.

She looked in Arthur's eyes a moment longer, before dropping to one knee, her silk skirts pooling around her, head bowed in submission.

"Brother, I, Morgana Pendragon, High Priestess of the Old Religion, Bane of Camelot, and one-time Queen, offer my services to you, Arthur Pendragon. I take you as my liegelord to atone for my many mistakes and sins, and would join you in your quest against the tyrant Lord Voldemort."

Arthur waited a moment, then grinned and took her hand, drawing the woman to her feet.

"Sister, it is good to have you back on the side of the light once more."

She smiled shyly back at him, before Gwen enveloped her in a hug. The knights bowed to the Princess of Camelot, and then they took their places in the procession towards the dais where the teachers sat.

Arthur walked at the front, and slightly to the right, and a step behind walked his Queen, Guinevere. After her walked Guias, Merlin and Morgana, followed by a line of knights, their capes billowing out behind them impressively.

Arthur and Gwen dropped to one knee when they reached the bottom step, and a second later the others emulated them, fists over their hearts.

Arthur spoke to McGonagall. "I, Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, and Guinevere, Queen of Camelot, offer an alliance with your Kingdom of Hogwarts. We vow to protect it should there be an invasion, to aid the peoples of this land should any harm come to them, and to fight beside your knights, should the need arise. What say you to our terms?"

Not much could phase McGonagall, but this threw her slightly. However, she did a good job of attempting to look in control of the situation.

"I, Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, accept your allegiance. I wish to inform you of an invader, a man named Lord Voldemort, or Tom Riddle. He has the aid of many sorcerers and the giants, and is extremely powerful. He will be here very soon."

The Medieval group stood, and Arthur pulled two of them to the front.

"It may look like we are not going to be much help. However, all of my knights have faced sorcerers and magical creatures, Guias and Gwen have healing knowledge, and these two, well you may recognise their names."

The two sorcers rolled their eyes at each other, making some of the kids grin, as Arthur said, "they are Merlin and Morgana, the two greatest sorcerers ever to walk the earth."

There were a few gasps, but most had already figured it out. The pair grinned and gave Arthur a mocking bow.

"Oh, brother dearest, how you flatter us!"

"Oh, but Morgana, he may be good at speeches, but can the dollophead dress himself?"

Arthur blushed as his friends grinned.

"Stupid idiot _Mer_ lin" Arthur mumbled.

McGonagall was the first to remember the situation. "Potter! What are you still doing here? Go, go! Argus, lead the first years to the Room of Requirement. Order of the Phoenix, team up with sixth and seventh years, professors, you too. Pendragon, your group will follow me."

Gwen grinned at Merlin as Arthur automatically followed her order, before they walked out with the others.

The knights, Guias, Arthur and Gwen listened carefully as McGonagall explained the battle plan to them. She turned to tell the two sorcerers their positions, but found they had disappeared. Arthur rolled his eyes knowingly, Gwaine laughed, and Lancelot stepped forward. "I know where they've gone, Your Majesty."

Guias frowned, then nodded with sudden realisation. "Look out the window." He suggested.

They all did, and they could make out two figures. One raised his head to sky, and gave a long guttural call in Draconic. They stood waiting patiently, and soon two huge dragons appeared above the snowy mountain tops in the distance. McGonagall commented that she had never seen dragons that big, and Guias reminded her that they were fairly old. The two dragons landed in front of the figures. One was white, and the other...

Leon frowned and turned to Arthur. "I thought you said you killed that dragon?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "That's what Merlin told me."

Percival and Elyan laughed before Guias interrupted. "Merlin is the last Dragon Lord, son of Balinor. They are his kin, Kilgarrah and Aithusa. Aithusa came from the egg that you went to destroy, but Merlin smuggled it out of the pyramid. They are the last true Dragons. Your dragons come from Aithusa and Kilgarrah's offspring with wyverns."

Gwaine pretended to gag, and they all grinned.


	2. 2

"Kilgarrah, Aithusa, it's good to see you again!" cried Merlin.

"And you, young warlock. Arthur has risen once more?"

"Yes, we are to protect the school from Mouldyvort."

Morgana whispered in his ear.

"I mean, Voldemort."

There was humour in Kilgarrah's voice as he said, "only you could mess up the name of the greatest sorcerer of this age, Merlin."

As Merlin went for a retort, the Great Dragon suddenly reared back slightly. "What is she doing here? That is the evil witch Morgana!"

Morgana looked slightly affronted.

"It's fine! She's with us!"

At this Aithusa came forward. She was _much_ bigger than when they had last seen her, and much healthier. She approached Merlin first. He calmed her with gentle words and soft touches, before she headed to her old mistress, Morgana. The white dragon seemed wary. Merlin knew there was some part of her that loved the High Priestess, but another that would always associate her with pain and torture. He watched as Aithusa overcame her fear, and both seemed happier.

"So, Merlin, we cannot defend the school alone. Who else will help?" Asked the dragon.

The warlock listed their allies, and Kilgarrah suggested creatures from the Forbidden Forest. Merlin nodded and turned back to Morgana.

"Defensive spells?"

She nodded excitedly, and stood behind him. They raised their palms, and lowered their voices to chant. His eyes shone gold as Merlin turned to look at her, and they grinned. Their magic was _so_ strong together. They felt unstoppable.

page break*

Arthur watched from the window as his trusted friend and manservant cast a huge red dome over the school grounds. He smiled when Merlin turned to grin at him, and pointed upwards. The king craned his head out the window to look at the huge golden dragon that floated on the shield. The symbol of Camelot. Arthur smiled. Merlin hadn't completely forgotten him then.

He recalled that as he had lain dying, he had told his friend 'to always be you'. And he had meant it. He _had_ forgiven him. It just made the lies more real when Merlin stood beside Morgana casting a powerful spell with two dragons at his back.

He watched on sadly as Morgana accompanied his friend into the Forbidden Forest. Once that would have been him.

page break*

Merlin wandered into the Forbidden Forest, a place he had heard a worrying amount about from the students as he had stood a statue in the Great Hall, considering the place was _forbidden._ He chatted to Morgana as they walked through the shady trees, watching for movement. He couldn't help but think he should have brought one of the knights, who had keener eyesight. Especially Arthur. He always seemed the first to notice when something was around.

He felt another pang of loss when he tripped over a tree root. His friend would have been quick to comment on his clumsiness, but Morgana barely noticed.

He was abruptly brought out of his reflection when a herd of centaurs emerged from the trees.

Morgana gasped, raising her hand automatically, and the centaurs tensed. He lifted a warning hand towards her to diffuse the tension, and everyone calmed.

The centaurs gave half-bows. "Emrys", they whispered reverently. One stepped forwards. "I am Bane, my lord. It was written in the stars that we would meet soon, but we were doubtful. However, we should have trusted Mars' alignment with Venus, as it proved true."

Merlin gave a bow in return. "I have long wished to meet your people." He waved a hand in his companion's direction. "Morgana Pendragon. She's with us now."

Bane's eyes widened. He turned back to Merlin. "Likewise, warlock. We are with you to the end."

Merlin grinned and turned to Morgana. "I do so love it when they say that."

page break*

Arthur strode amongst the Knights, giving orders and discussing tactics, looking every inch the King. Gwen and Gaius had already gone to set up a medical area with a Madame Pomfrey, who he had been informed was Hogwarts' Court Physician. Now Arthur paused and looked out the window for any sign of his friend. Nothing.

Arthur sighed, and Lancelot heard.

"I would not worry Sire. Merlin can easily take care of himself. He'll be back soon."

The King masked another sign and nodded. Of course he was fine. He didn't need Arthur around all the time.

He decided to prove that he could be independent too, and walked away from the window, barking orders at the group of students loitering nearby. He missed the sight of Merlin emerging from the forest accompanied by Morgana and a group of magical creatures, including centaurs, thestrals, hippogriffs, unicorns, a giant, and a few nymphs. He also missed Merlin scanning the windows to check for Arthur, then looking at the ground in shame, reminding himself that Arthur had more than just one person to take care of, and to stop being so selfish.

Arthur walked quickly down the corridor with Lancelot by his side, looking for someone named Charlie Weasley, so that they could move those huge dragons without their resident Dragon Lord. He felt that it might be something of a give away if this tyrant Voldemort were to arrive and see two huge dragons on the front porch.

page break*

Lord Voldemort apparated into Hogsmeade, his loyal Deatheaters arriving around him in black swirls of dark magic. He smiled before looking over at his old school. Soon it would be over. Soon the Boy Who Lived would be dead.

He had been so confident. He knew, he _knew_ he could kill any of them, _all_ of them. He was sure of a victory today. However, as he turned, the seed of uncertainty was planted in his mind. He wondered why.

Maybe it was the feeling of safety, of security,that blew to him on the breeze. Maybe it was the two huge dragons sitting calmly by the lake, watching him. Or maybe it was the huge red dome protecting the school.

Yes. He nodded. It could be that.


	3. chapter 3

Merlin and Morgana were talking to Bane and Kilgarrah when suddenly a figure appeared beside the unicorns. He was an old man, wearing a grey cloak, and carrying a wooden staff. Morgana saw him first, and screamed, "MERLIN!".

That caught his attention, and he spun to greet the old man. "Anhorra! It has been too long." The two men nodded to each other, remembering the last time they had spoken. "Anhorra, meet Morgana Pendragon, High Priestess. 'Gana, this is Anhorra, Keeper of the Unicorns."

The noble lady realized that her mouth was hanging slightly open, and shut it, curtsying. "Why did you always get to meet the cooler people?" She asked Merlin grumpily.

Suddenly the great doors opened and several people came running out. Leading them was Arthur, followed by Remus Lupin, Neville Longbottom, Professor Sprout, Lancelot and Charlie Weasley. As Arthur began shouting "Merlin, MERLIN! Morgana? Merlin, what happened? Has the attack started? MERLIN!", the two sorcerers realized simultaneously that their king would only have heard Morgana's suprised scream at Anhorra's appearance, and nothing else.

"No, no, nothing, we're fine. Arthur, we're FINE." They assured him as the group ran up, worried. The situation was explained, and after greeting Bane, Anhorra (who promptly disappeared) and Kilgarrah, Arthur tried to pretend that he had not been worried at all.

"Was that you screaming Merlin? It sounded very girly."

Merlin just grinned, but unfortunately for Arthur, Morgana took it the wrong way and began to lecture him on equality. Merlin grinned at his friend in sympathy, and went to introduce himself to the others. He was excited when Remus told him about being a werewolf, and he briefly told him of Freya, his love, who turned into a bastet at night. The friendly relationship between Neville and Professor Sprout reminded him of that between himself and Gaius; teacher and pupil, yes, but also almost family members. And in Charlie he found his first fan, as the young man was enraptured with dragons. When he introduced Kilgarrah and Aithusa, he feared the man was about to faint.

Abruptly, Morgana's lecture stopped, as did Merlin's incessant chatter, as both sorcerers turned their heads towards Hogsmeade. The others followed their gazes, but could discern nothing, and turned back. The two dragons, however, continued staring, as if maintaining eye contact.

page break*

Arthur nodded in a daze, Morgana's angry lecture fading into the background as he recalled his panic when he had heard that scream a few minutes before. He had barely remembered that Morgana was there too, all he had been feeling was pure fear for his best friend. He had left Flitwick staring after him as his instincts kicked in and he ran to protect Merlin. He couldn't lose him. Not now. Not ever. Not Merlin.

He came back to the present when both Merlin and Morgana stopped talking at the same time, and they twisted to face the same direction, along with the two giant dragons. Arthur turned too, but could see nothing.

"That bastard is here," growled his sister. The Hogwarts magicians ran back to the castle to inform the others. Arthur and Lancelot were the only ones who witnessed the bolt of power hit the red shield overhead, and the worrying jolt both sorcerers felt.

The pair shared a look, but put on a brave face as Merlin shakily commented, " Nothing to worry about sire! Umm... just... cold. Yes, we were... shivering..." and he ended with an innocent, puppy-eyed look. Arthur rolled his eyes at the noble Knight beside him.

Lancelot strode forward. "Is he powerful?" He asked quietly, placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder.

The warlock looked away, saying, "Yes. Not as powerful as either of us, and he can't hold a candle to our force combined, but yes. Individually, he is... powerful."

Lancelot nodded, and ruffled the man's raven hair. "Good job you've got us then?"

All four smiled; they knew it would be the power of the Old Religion that would sway the tide of the battle, not brute strength. and swordplay.

Suddenly Merlin's expressive blue eyes turned to him. "Where will you be?" He asked.

Arthur grinned. "At your side. As you so often were for me."

The pair smiled at each other, but there was still something between them. A feeling of something about to come. Something destined to happen. Arthur couldn't place it, and it seemed Merlin couldn't either because he just grinned again and turned back to talk to Kilgarrah.

page break*

Voldemort watched the two dragons as they unnervingly stared back at him. They were big. Almost too big, not that he could really tell at this distance. He felt uncertain. Why were they there?

However, his attention was diverted by the red dome. It seemed to hum with raw power, and felt ancient. He didn't recognize the golden dragon symbol etched on top, but there was something about it. As if it was part of the earth itself. His magic fluxed and he frowned. That had never happened before.

He gripped the Elder Wand tightly, and sent a bolt of blackness at the shield. He'd never seen anyone hold up against that spell of his, but the barrier barely wavered. The blackness spread out over the surface, and evaporated. He waited for a reaction from the school, but none was forthcoming.

He narrowed his eyes in anger, and began to hiss. Nagini wound around his feet, but otherwise all was silent, before he screamed and let lose bolt after bolt. He was Lord Voldemort. Nothing could stop him!

page break*

Arthur looked up on the way back to the castle, as wave after wave of darkness cascaded over the dome's surface. He turned to check on his friend, and found that the man was walking confidently, barely seeming to notice the magical attacks. All that gave him away were the slight twitches in his fingers every time the barrier was hit.

Morgana was not as subtle, visibly flinching when black met red. Arthur's frown softened as he put his arm around his sister.

He turned his angry gaze towards Hogsmeade. Voldemort would pay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys sorry it's been so long!! Thanks to thatrandompenguin for making me continue XD Hope you like it!**

Arthur stood between the great oak doors that fronted the school, watching out towards Hogsmeade. His knights stood beside him, except for Percival who seemed to be supporting Morgana. Merlin lent against one of the doors with his eyes half-closed. Arthur sent a worried frown in his direction before turning to look back at the Death Eater army.

Black streaks continued to hit the red shield, making a hollow booming noise. The blackness blossomed and spread, yet when it touched the golden dragon symbol of Camelot, it fizzled and died. It was as if the magic there was too pure for it to touch.

Arthur grinned proudly at Merlin, who half-smiled back at him. He looked exhausted after the hour-long attack on the shield, and Arthur wished there was some way to help him.

His attention was diverted, however, when Headmistress McGonagall came to stand beside him, followed by her entourage of Professor Flitwick, Mrs Weasley and Aberforth Dumbledore.

He nodded his head regally at them and they responded in kind.

"Queen Quinevere and Gaius are ready to care for the wounded with Madam Pomfrey. I've got teams on the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Astronomy towers, and a group protecting the dungeons and house elves. Lupin is leading a group to set up traps and spells in certain corridors, which I marked on your maps. The centaurs, thestrals and hippogriffs are ready to charge the Death Eaters when they approach, and the merpeople have agreed to drag them down in the lake if they get close enough. Professor Sprout has gone to collect some dangerous and harmful plants to throw at them, and we have awakened the remainder of the school statues. And now... I just need to ask you to take the shield down." McGonMcGonagall finished, looking confused with why she had asked to let them in.

Arthur raised his eyebrows at her confidence, but nodded at Merlin. His friend shared a look with Morgana, then they lifted their hands and began muttering.

And suddenly the shield was gone. For a few seconds, the golden outline of the Camelot dragon could be seen against the black of the sky, and the knights watched folornly as the glittering shape drifted apart.

Merlin shut his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, breathing heavily. Morgana was struggling to stand.

And then the Hogwartians heard a great cheer erupt across the valley, as the Death Eaters began their attack.

page break:)))))

Voldemort silently motioned for his army to stop firing at the shield. He sensed powerful magic about to happen.

No one moved.

Then, the barrier, which he and his army had been attempting to destroy for over an hour now, was just taken down. The red dome disappeared, and his Death Eaters watched silently as the golden dragon drifted away.

Voldemort grinned.

He felt his lips turn up in a smirk, showing his canines, and his nostrils (he _did_ have a nose) flared out slightly. A woman they had taken prisoner screamed in horror at his expression, and the grin turned into a scowl. He turned and killed the woman.

He began laughing, and his followers hesitantly joined in.

He took a step forward, then another. No barrier stopped him, and his army cheered in triumph.

They may as well have wrapped Harry Potter up and posted him as a birthday present. He had already won.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks again to thatrandompenguin for their helpful insights :P Enjoy.**

Merlin followed Arthur and the knights as they took positions in the courtyard. He and Morgana were exhausted from holding up the shield for so long. It had better have been worth it.

When he walked smack bang into a wall, he immediately blamed exhaustion. That made Arthur pause, but of course he couldn't convince Gwain.

"You liar!" He called with a laugh. "I saw you run straight into Arthur's door back in Camelot once!"

The other knights joined in. Elyan claimed to have watched him knock over a maid while skidding round a corner, and even Lancelot said that he had watched Merlin fall in the well.

Merlin thought he managed the look of wide-eyed innocence quite well, but all the knights roared with laughter.

Merlin frowned I'm confusion. How had only one of them realized he was a sorcerer if he was so bad at lying?

Page Brrreeeaaaakkk

Arthur was grinning as he heard his knights teasing his friend, but he didn't join in.

He wasn't sure what it was, but there was something in the air between them. He remembered feeling it earlier too, but it had become more prominent since them. An expectation of something about to happen, to change their relationship maybe.

He wasn't sure if now was the time for teasing Merlin, especially as he would need his magic to protect him, if all that Merlin claimed was true.

He doubted of course. Merlin wasn't capable of tying his own shoelaces if Arthur didn't remind him.

The jovial mood that had taken the knights ended abruptly as they realized that the distant roar of the approaching army was no longer distant.

And they hadn't yet got to their positions.

Everyone turned to Arthur for orders.

Everyone except Merlin that is, who never listened anyway.

Page breeaaakkk :))

Vildemort floated in his black cloud form above his army.

He quite enjoyed being a cloud. Fluffy and floaty and rollypolly...

No.

Evil geniuses did not want to be fluffy clouds.

He swooped down and landed before them on the bridge. He turned towards Hogwarts after assessing his army and killing one of his most loyal supporters because he wanted to be a cloud, but couldn't be Lord Voldemort at the same time. Today's society frowned upon crazy sorcerers who's deepest wish was to float in the sky like a ball of cotton wool.

He shook his head and got back to it.

Up ahead was the courtyard. Usually full of students milling about, it was now empt- full of the laughing Knights of the Round Table, teasing a servant.

He frowned and blinked hard.

What?

And they suddenly noticed him and his Death Eaters at the other end of the bridge.

Voldemort watched with glee as their eyes widened, and they turned to their King, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed man who had a regal bearing. He obviously commanded the loyalty of his troops, much like himself, and- oh, wait. One of them was stepping forward without a command from his king. And it was the servant no less!

If a house elf had disobeyed him, he would have tortured it to death, taking pleasure in its pain. But the King just watched as the servant walked towards Voldemort.

Should he just kill him?

He chuckled. How could he not?

Voldemort raised his wand and uttered the killing curse. He got ready to kill the next one, before realising that the dark-haired man still stood.

The lanky servant had a satisfied, smug look on his face as he crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow (a trick he had learned from Giaus). He exchanged a look with the King, who nodded back at him.

Voldemort frowned. He wanted to just float away... No! Kill kill kill!

He shot spell after spell at the man, who barely even flinched.

Then he froze. Was this the man who had set up the impenetrable shield earlier?

As if hearing his thoughts, the servant turned and made a smaller version of it, protecting his friends.

Who was this man?

He suddenly uttered some gutteral words in a language long forgotten by men, and he almost felt it echo in his blood.

Two giant dragons then rose either side of the bridge, and roared in defiance at the evil of Lord Voldemort.

The wind from their breath forced him back a step, and the man seemed to grin.

Who _was_ this man?


	6. Chapter 6

**Hiya. Thanks for all the reviews, I'm glad people are enjoying it! I'm not finished yet, and I know I update really unregularly, it's just that I'm not sure entirely where I'm going with it atm, so bear with me :P enjoy.**

Merlin stood, alone, on the bridge, facing the army of Death Eaters, with his friends at his back. Aithusa and Kilgarrah hovered slightly behind him also.

Lord Moldyvort looked on slack-jawed. Merlin rolled his eyes. _This_ was the man they claimed was the greatest sorcerer of the age?

 _I bet he's never even managed to make tree branches falling on his enemies' heads look like an accident. Amateur._ Moldyvort tried to reassure his uncertain army, by conjuring a huge snake. The python began to approach Merlin, and the evil sorcerer looked smug.

The two immense dragons at Merlin's side simultaneously incinerated the snake.

The attacking army looked nervous.

Moldyvort's snake-like eyes darted around, looking for help. After a few seconds, he turned into a black cloud and floated away.

Merlin exchanged a confused look with Arthur, whose tactical brain was wondering where the evil Lord had gone.

And then they knew.

Page break ~~~~

Arthur stood beside the most loyal knights the world had ever known, and watched confused as Lord Voldemort wafted away. Merlin looked back at him with a similar expression.

Why would he leave his army after all the work he had put into gaining it? Merlin hadn't even beaten him in a fight yet, and he was intimidated?

Arthur was sure there must be more to it.

And then about twelve dragons rose over the ridge, accompanied by a small black cloud.

Oh.

Aithusa and Kilgarrah went to head them off, and Voldemort came back down. His expression was strangely one of regret as he returned to human form, but then grinned evily as he watched Merlin's two dragons fail to intimidate all of them. Three passed them and headed towards the school.

But Voldemort did not know of Merlin's other talent.

His friend's voice became deep and guttural as he called out in Draconic, commanding them to stop and turn back.

The Death Eaters, however, had taken advantage of Merlin's distraction.

Several had taken the opportunity to run away, while others raised their wands towards the Camelot group. Arthur raced forward to protect Merlin, the Knights at his heels.

They stood in an arc around him, and the shield he had used to protect them, prevented any spells from hitting him. Arthur and the Knights began taking turns to edge towards the army, and stab at them.

Arthur watched in satisfaction as the three rogue dragons obeyed and retreated, but suddenly heard laboured breathing behind him. Merlin!

The young man was struggling to stand, and was seriously pale.

Arthur darted forward and caught his bony frame before his legs gave out.

He got Lancelot's attention, whose eyes widened at the sight of his friend. He quickly gestured to the castle, and Hogwartians began firing spells out the windows, occupying the Death Eaters, and enabling the group to make a hasty retreat.

Once inside they headed for the Mending Wing, where the two Court Physicians and the Queen had set up a medical area.

They heard bangs and shouts behind them, but they did not abandon Merlin.

 **Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry its been so long since I wrote the last chapter!!!! Thanks for all the lovely reviews and hope you enjoy!!!**

When Merlin woke, he was disorientated. He was laying on his back in a bed softer than Arthur's (not that he'd ever had a midday nap on Arthur's bed or anything...) and was flanked with a full contingent of Camelot knights. The King of Camelot seemed to be worriedly arguing with Gaius, Gwen and Madame Pomfrey in the corner, and kept gesturing towards him.

Outside the room he could hear screams and shouting, and the occassional noise of a giant spider getting thrown out of a window. As you do.

He sat up slowly, groaning at the sudden headache. Arthur spun and his eyes went wide as Merlin awkwardly attempted to get out of bed.

Gaius lifted one eyebrow in that threatening way that only he can manage, and Merlin shrugged innocently. Lancelot helped him up and the knight also became a victim of Athur's glare.

"Where do you think you're going?" the King of Camelot asked.

"Ummm... Out?" Merlin replied.

Gwain rolled his eyes and grinned, ignoring Arthur.

"Come on then, lets get back to it."

The knights escorted Merlin out of the Medical Wing, leaving the King that they were supposed to be protecting behind.

Gwen grinned from the corner of the room as she watched her husband throw his hands up in exasperation and follow.

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The group surveyed the battle from the large window in the staff room. The Hogwartians weren't doing too badly all things considered. It was clear that they weren't winning however, and the knights exchanged a worried look.

Without the magic of Emrys, the knights were going to struggle to fight any of the Death Eaters at all. However, they were not just trained in the sword.

From out of the window, they began chucking random heavy objects off of the shelves. One well-aimed fossil knocked Fenrir Greyback out completely.

Merlin and Arthur stood back and watched. Arthur asked concernedly how the Warlock was feeling, and he replied with "I've felt better if I'm honest."

Just then a loud voice rang out through the castle.

 _"Give me Harry Potter and you shall be rewarded..."_

The voice seemed to echo and bounce off of every wall.

" _Give me Harry Potter and I will let you live..."_

Arthur and the knights looked around confused, trying to spot where the ghostly voice was coming from.

Merlin, however, seemed to have immediately pinpointed the evil sorcerer.

 _"Give me Har-"_

"Moldyvort!!!!!"

A beam of light shot from Merlin's palm at a small cloud... clouding... nearby. There was a high-pitched scream, and the bald, nose-less wizard fell from the sky, landing in the courtyard below.

"Fight me sorcerer, face to face. No more tricks." Moldyvort shrieked.

Merlin shrugged. "All right then."

~~~~~~ page break ~~~~~~

Arthur didn't like this. Not at all.


	8. chapter 8

**Sorry its been so long. Thanks so much for the reviews as I love getting feedback on my writing. This chapter is less funny than the others but im hoping to write another chapter after to finish it off. Hope you enjoy :)** **Dislaimer: I own nothing. Clearly. If I did Merlin would still be on.** **Enjoy!**

King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable followed Merlin out into the courtyard of Hogwarts. Around them, the battle had paused; the Death Eaters had retreated behind their leader and the Hogwartians were watching from every window.

Merlin turned and looked each of the knights in the eyes. Trust warred with anxiety in their expressions, and the warlock smiled slightly, feeling a surge of protectiveness for all of them.

He turned to Morgana. "Promise me that whatever happens you'll keep them safe. Promise me." Before he had even finished the sentence Morgana was nodding.

"Of course I will. Trust me."

Merlin felt his expression soften as he recalled the love he had once felt for this loyal woman when she had lived in Camelot under Uther's reign. He pulled her in for a quick hug and whispered, "I always trusted you. I'm sorry for what I did to you. Forgive me?"

The once-evil witch nodded with tears in her eyes.

The warlock pulled away and gave a quick smile to his King. He took one last look at his friends before turning and facing the bald nose-less magician Moldyvort.

The man's red eyes appraised him from across the courtyard before he lifted his wand in an unexpectedly elegant movement.

Moldyvort paused for a moment, waiting for Merlin to raise his wand as was customary. Merlin just raised his eyebrow and shrugged.

The battle began.

~~~~~~~~~ page break ~~~~~~~~~~

The two men traded simple spells to begin with, ordinary bolts of light to gauge the strength of the other. They quickly escalated as both realised neither was challenging the opposer.

Voldemort started with another huge python in the shape of Nagini. The snake towered over Merlin as it prepared to strike, but he turned it into crows which turned and attacked the wizard as a mob of black feathers, beaks and claws. Voldemort then reversed the spell and a huge wave of water came hurtling towards the King's servantservant until he sent it back as a lightning bolt.

This carried on for a few minutes, but Voldemort seemed to weary of trading these inventive spells, and it soon came down to a war of speed, strength and cunning.

The crowds watching were soon forced to raise their own sheilds to protect themselves from stray blasts from the fight. The air around the two seemed to prickle with energy.

Voldemort weaved and danced his way round spells, shooting some that he himself had come up with. There was no doubt the man was a brilliant sorcerer, watching him fire off jets of light at a rate barely perceptible to the human eye.

And yet.

Merlin stood, no wand, no backup, but his feet planted firmly on the floor in defiance. His eyes glowed gold as his hands weaved through a strange dance, electricity sparking from the end of each fingertip.

The world stood still to watch.

They watched as the ugly magician seemed to falter, then smirk. Voldemort suddenly shot a spell oddly wide of the warlock, whose golden eyes widened as he turned his head to watch it, knowing instinctively who it was headed for.

He lunged, his body going into autopilot as he aimed to fulfil his destiny once more.

The jet of light hit him in the side as he intercepted, and he was sent skidding across the floor, only to stop at Arthur's feet, panting.

"Merlin?!" Came the worried cry of his best friend.

The warlock closed his eyes for a moment before clambering to his feet once more.

Gold eyes met terrified blues for a moment as Merlin turned to stalk back towards the wizard. Anger filled every part of his body- that this man had _dared_ to try and kill Arthur Pendragon.

His golden eyes _blazed_ as he stalked towards Voldemort.

And suddenly Voldemort could see how much he had underestimated this man.

He had thought during their fight that he might be able to win. They had been fairly even, and the servant was already exhausted from earlier. But he had forgotten who this was.

Merlin wasn't any old sorcerer. He wasn't famous in both the wizarding and muggle worlds for nothing. This man was the _most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth_. And Voldemort had thought he could best him?

As the warlock approached, Voldemort transformed into a cloud and flew away.

But Merlin wasn't going to let him off that easily. The wizard had murdered, tortured and torn families apart. And now he had attempted to kill Arthur? The man that meant the most to him in the entire world?

Good luck with that.


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